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Awards and Accreditations
Awards of Excellence
Highline Medical Center continually strives to provide the finest healthcare services to our community. We are proud to be recognized, something we feel so strongly about.
2008 Top Ten Healing Hospital
Highline Medical Center announced today that it is one of the 2008 Top Ten Healing Hospitals as identified by Baptist Healing Trust, a national foundation dedicated to making an impact on the health and lives of hospital caregivers and patients around the country. Healing Hospitalä recognition was created to honor hospitals and leaders that have made a special commitment to creating cultures that demonstrate compassion and quality. Each hospital honored in the top ten list has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to patient and employee-centered care. They are also noted for embarking upon a journey of establishing a Healing Hospitalä environment.
This year’s recipients include prestigious hospitals like Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, Griffin Hospital in Derby, Connecticut and the 2006 Baldrige Award-recipient Sharp Healthcare in San Diego, California. Highline placed seventh on the list of ten hospitals. This year’s six-member selection panel reviewed hospitals coast-to-coast before making their decisions about the winners. Panel members consisted of Presidents & CEOs from hospitals and health systems across the nation. For complete press release, click here.
2008 Washington State Quality Award
In May 2008, the Governor's office presented the Washington State Quality Awards, for achievement based on the nationally recognized Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. Highline Medical Center was one of only seven award recipients and the only healthcare organization recognized. Highline was honored for its strategic planning process and for its efforts in implementing the Planetree philosophy of Patient-Centered care.
2008 American Heart Associations Silver Performance Award for 12 months of consecutive Quality Care
The American Heart Association recognized Highline Medical Center for its performance in its Get With The Guideline's Program. Highline received the AHA award for implementing the latest evidence-based guidelines in the treatment of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and was among hospitals nationwide featured in an ad for the program in US News and World Report.
Hospital Compare
In May 2008 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ran ads nationwide featuring hospital performance on two key quality measures. Highline ranked first in the state for its performance on one measure: the percentage of patients at each hospital who were given antibiotics one hour prior to surgery. To see more about other measures, visit the USHHS Hospital Compare website.
2008 "5-Star" Rating
Highline Medical Center received a "Five-Star Rating" from Cleverly & Associates, an Ohio-based firm specializing in healthcare financial and operational benchmarking studies and reports. The five-star distinction was awarded to Highline for achieving a Community Value Index (CVI) rating in the top 20 percent of the more than 3,500 hospitals included in the study. The CVI was created by Cleverly & Associates to measure the value that a hospital provides to the community and allows hospitals to assess their performance in the areas of financial performance, cost position and charge structure.
Highline Team Members Receive National Planetree Awards
In October 2007, three Highline team members were honored for their spirit of caring at the 2007 Planetree Annual Conference hosted by the Planetree organization. The Spirit of Planetree Awards were created to publicly recognize individuals who personalize and demystify the healthcare experience and programs and services that support extraordinary achievements in patient-centered care.
Robin Gross, RN, received the Caregiver Award; Gregory Rudolf, MD, received the Physician Award; and Volunteer Debra Valpey and her dog Chloe received the Animal Therapy Award.
Premier Award for Quality
Every year only a few hospitals nationwide receive the coveted Premier Award for Quality. In June 2007, Highline Medical Center was named a Premier winner for excellence in hip and knee replacement — one of just six hospitals in the nation to be recognized in this category.
To learn more, click here.
Beautification Award
In 2005, Highline Medical Center won the A.C.E. award in the category of Beautification by the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce. This award is given to a business or organization that has enhanced the attractiveness of the community by constructing a new building, remodeling its exterior or interior or significantly improving its landscaping. Judging criteria are 60 percent external, 40 percent internal.
Highline Program and Physician Honored
Highline Medical Center and Highline Pathologist Kindred Ritchie, PhD, MD, were recently honored with two separate awards at the 2005 Planetree Annual Conference held in Chantilly, Virginia. The Planetree Library and Patient/Family Information Program were chosen from approximately 100 Planetree hospitals in the nation to win the Planetree National Award in the area of patient and family information.
The second award went to Dr. Ritchie, who was nominated by the Highline staff to receive the esteemed Planetree Spirit of Caring Award. Only one staff member from each Planetree hospital is elected to receive this award.
"3-Star" Rating by EnviroStars
In 2005, EnviroStars awarded Highline Medical Center in the Green Business Directory for its commitment to environmentally sound business practices. Nationally recognized, the EnviroStars Program certifies businesses for reducing, recycling and properly managing hazardous waste. To be eligible, businesses must not generate large quantities of hazardous waste, must be located in participating counties and must be actively working to reduce hazardous waste.
2003 Award of Excellence in Healthcare Quality
Qualis Health, a private, nonprofit healthcare quality improvement organization, awarded Highline’s Home Care Services for achievements in quality improvement and patient safety. Only five healthcare providers in Washington were chosen to receive this award.
In addition, seven registered nurses of the Home Care program received national certification in hospice and palliative nursing, resulting in 70 percent of the nursing staff being certified in specialty areas. Other specialties include gerontological nursing and oncology nursing.
American Hospital Association "Case Study" 2003
Highline Medical Center was one of three hospitals in the nation featured in "Strategies for Leadership. A Blueprint for Action" published by the AHA in October 2003. The focus of the piece was communications with patients and families.
Top 15 "Hospitals with Heart" — 2001
Named in the July/August 2001 issue of AARP’s Modern Maturity Magazine as a hospital most respected by its peers in the area of patient care.
2001 Bravo Award
In 2001, Cigna Behavioral Health awarded Highline Recovery Services for an excellent working relationship.
Oncology Nurse of the Year 2000
The National Oncology Nursing Society awarded this prestigious national honor to a Highline nurse.
Top 10 Most Innovative Facilities in Healthcare — 2000
This honor was bestowed by the Center for Innovation in Health Facilities based on a survey of 5,000 healthcare CEOs and 250 healthcare consultants. Focus: Design, planning and operation of facilities.
2000 Health Leadership Award
The Washington State Hospital Association awarded the Roxbury Clinic in White Center, which received national attention for its unique partnership with the Seattle King County Health Department in delivering health services to underserved populations.
Accreditations
The Joint Commission
Highline Medical Center is proudly accredited by The Joint Commission, a national organization that evaluates hospitals. If you have concerns about the quality and safety of the care provided by Highline, we encourage you to call our Patient Representative at (206) 988-5791. If you are not able to get adequate resolution of your concerns, you are welcome to contact The Joint Commission at 800-994-6610 or complaint@jointcommission.org.
CARF
Highline’s acute and sub-acute rehabilitation programs successfully completed a three-year accreditation survey by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). This award certifies that the program operates according to the "gold" standards established by the rehabilitation profession.
ACOS
Highline Medical Center is a member of the Washington State Hospital Association and is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission (ACOS) on Cancer.
The American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer surveyed the Cancer Care Program at Highline Medical Center. The Commission on Cancer has 36 standards that encompass eight major elements for cancer programs, including Institutional and Programmatic Resources, Cancer Committee Leadership, Cancer Data Management and Cancer Registry Operations, Clinical Management, Research, Community Outreach, Professional Education and Staff Support and Quality Management. All standards are mandatory and form the basis for the approval award. Upon successful completion of the survey, Highline’s Cancer Care Program was awarded full accreditation, received commendation in seven areas and has been fully accredited for 24 years.
CME
The Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) CME Accreditation Committee accredits Highline Medical Center to sponsor Category 1 continuing medical education activities for physicians to satisfy the relicensure requirements of the Washington State Medical Quality Assurance Commission and toward the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award.
ASHP
The American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) accredited Highline Medical Center’s pharmacy practice residency program. Highline has two residents per year who receive additional training in pharmacy practice. In order to keep the accreditation, both the ASHP residency standard and the Best Standards of Practice for Hospital and Health Systems Pharmacy must be met.
College of American Pathologists Award
Highline Medical Center Laboratory, along with Highline and Specialty Campuses Respiratory Care departments, are in a select group of departments that have been evaluated and found to be in compliance with the College of American Pathologists (CAP) rigorous accreditation standards, which is designed to help ensure quality patient care. The CAP's program are the most respected and recognized laboratory accreditation program in the world and has long been considered the "gold standard" against which others are measured. We are especially proud to point out that the November 2, 2005, inspection had no deficiencies. The inspectors noted they had not seen an inspection without a deficiency in 25 years of inspecting.